4 shot dead in southern Italy "mafia-style ambush"

Four people were killed in what local media described as a "mafia-style ambush" in southern Italy on Wednesday.

Alleged local organized crime boss Mario Luciano Romiti and his brother-in-law Matteo De Palma were among the victims, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The other two victims were local farmers and may have been killed because they were witnesses, public broadcaster RAI reported.

The attack took place in an isolated area near the town of San Marco in Lamis, in the southern Puglia region in the heel of Italy's boot on the map.

The four victims were traveling on board two different vehicles when they were shot dead by a 4-5 person commando on board another vehicle, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno regional newspaper reported.

The attackers acted "in military style" and wielded a pistol, a Kalashnikov rifle, and a sawed-off shotgun, according to the local paper. The area has seen an ongoing turf war between rival mafia clans. The four deaths bring the victims so far this year to 17, plus two disappearances.

The most recent mafia killing before Wednesday was that of a 31-year-old restaurateur who was shot dead by two masked hitmen in front of his wife and some tourists during lunch hour at his pizza restaurant in the town of Vieste in July, according to local paper Foggia Today.

The southern Puglia region is a tourist destination for Italians and foreigners alike due to its enchanting coasts and historic sites.